Carbide thread plug shock absorber



Nov. 20, 1962 l. M. HERMAN CARBIDE THREAD PLUG SHOCK ABSORBER Filed May 27, 1960 m m M r mm m 6 Ar WM H I c M M w Wm 4 h I m M E r V United States Patent 3,064,355 CARBIDE THREAD PLUG SHUCK ABSGRBEZR Irving M. Herman, Glendale, Calif., assignor to Bell Aerospace Corporation, Bufialo, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 27, 196 Ser. No. 32,493

' 6 Claims. (Cl. 33199) This invention relates generally to tools and relates more particularly to gauge devices.

While the invention has particular utility embodied in carbide thread plug gauges, and is shown and described in such connection, it is to be understood that its utility is not confined thereto.

Certain difiiculties are encountered in connection with carbide thread plug gauges. For example, should these gauges be inadvertently dropped or knocked against a hard object they are likely to break, so that it is necessary to maintain a relatively large supply of such plugs.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide carbide thread plug gauge devices wherein breakage of such gauge devices is reduced to a minimum. Therefore, it is not necessary to maintain a large supply of such carbide thread plug devices in order to have an adequate supply thereof on hand.

As is well known, thread gages are turned in and out of the threads in machine parts many times and, hence, the gauges are subject to considerable wear.

It is therefore another object of the present invention to provide a thread gauge device wherein such wear is reduced to a it has been found that with the present device the life of the smaller carbide gauges has been increased as much as thirty times over the life of the present gauges of which I am aware.

It is still another object of the invention to provide thread plug gauge devices that are simple in construction and operation.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a device of this character that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

The characteristics and advantages of the invention are further sufficiently referred to in connection with the following detailed description of the accompanying drawings, which represent one embodiment. After considering this example, skilled persons will understand that variations may be made without departing from the principles disclosed, and I contemplate the employment of any structures, or arrangements or modes of operation that are properly within the scope of the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a thread plug gauge device embodying the present invention, portions being shown in section;

FIG. 2 is an end View of the device of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is an end view of the device as viewed at 3--3 of FIG. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the device comprises an elongated handle 16 of any desired crosssectional shape. As shown, the handle is hexagonal in cross section. Each end of the handle is provided with an inwardly tapering socket 12 in which a correspondingly tapered end 14 of a plug, indicated generally at 16, is disposed and secured as by solder or other suitable means.

Each of the plugs 16 has a cylindrical end portion 18 which extends outwardly of the adjacent end of the handle, the parts 14 and 18 of the respective plugs 16 being integral.

One end portion of a spiral spring 20 is disposed on as seen from 22 3,064,355 Patented Nov. 20, 1962 "ice the cylindrical portion 18 of each plug I16 and is secured on said cylindrical portion thereof by being soldered thereto. Other suitable means may, of course, be used to secure said end portions of the respective spring 20 to said cylindrical portions of the plugs 16.

The free end of one of the springs 20 carries a thread plug gauge member, indicated generally at 22, which is indicated as a G0 gauge. The free end of the other spring 243 carries a gauge member, indicated generally at 24, which is indicated as a NO GO gauge member.

The gauge member 22 comprises a cylindrical body 26 which is received in :an outer end portion of one of the springs 29 and is soldered to said end portion of the spring, or otherwise suitably secured thereto. The body 26 of gauge 22 has an outwardly extending part 28 from which there extends outwardly and externally threaded part 30.

The gauge member 24 is similar to the gauge member 22, said gauge member 24 also having a cylindrical body 26 which is disposed in an outer end portion of the respective spring 20 at the end of the handle 10 opposite the end carrying the gauge element 22. The spring is soldered to the cylindrical body portion 26 of the gauge member 24 disposed in the end portion of said spring, or the parts may be otherwise suitably secured together. Gauge member 24 has an outwardly extending part 28 from which there extends outwardly an externally threaded part 36a.

It is to be noted that the inner ends of the gauge members 22 and 24 are in outwardly spaced relationship to the outer ends of the adjacent plugs 16 and the various parts of the device are in axial alignment. The gauge elements 22 and 24 are used in the usual manner.

Should the device he inadvertently dropped or knocked against a hard object the elasticity of the springs reduces shock on the gauge members, thereby preventing the breakage thereof or limiting breakage to extreme situations where the gauge members have been subjected to unusually hard blows.

It has also been found that the gauges, or gauge members, of the present device wear at a very slow rate due to the elasticity of the springs, which allow the handle to over-travel when a gauge has been fully turned into a tapped bore or otherwise held against rotation. As stated above, it has been found that the life of small carbide gauges has been increased as much as thirty times over the life of other types of gauge devices of which I am aware.

The invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts of the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof or sacrificing its material advantages, the embodiment hereinbefore described being merely for the purpose of illustration.

I claim:

1. A thread plug gauge device, comprising: an elongated multisided handle having an axially arranged, inwardly tapered recess in each end; a plug for each end of the handle, each plug having a frusto-conical portion shaped to correspond to the recesses of the handle ends and secured in a respective recess, and a cylindrical portion extending outwardly of the handle; an elastic spiral spring for each end of the device, each spring having an inner end portion disposed on the cylindrical portion of its respective plug and secured thereto; and a gauge element for each spring, each gauge element having a cylindrical portion disposed in an outer free end portion of its respective spring and secured therein, the gauge elements being axially spaced from adjacent plugs, each gauge element having an externally threaded outwardly extending portion, one gauge element being a G0 gauge 3 and the other being a NO GO gauge, the springs having sulficient elasticity to permit over-travel of the handle when a gauge has been fully turned into a tapped bore and held against rotation.

2. A thread plug gauge device, comprising: an elongatedv handlefhaving an axially arranged, inwardly tapered recess in each end; a plug for each recess, each plug having a frusto-conical portionshaped to correspond to the recesses of the handle ends and secured in a respective recess, and a cylindrical portion extending outwardly of the handle; a spiral spring for each end of the device, each spring having an inner end portion secured :on the cylindrical portion of its respective plug; and a gauge element for each spring, each gauge element having a cylindrical portion secured in an outer free end portion of its respective spring, the gauge elements being axially spaced, from adjacent plugs and each spring having suflicient elasticity to permit over-travel of the handle when a gauge. element is held against rotation.

3. In a thread plug gauge device: a handle having a recess in each end; a plug for each end of the handle, each plug having a portion shaped to correspond to the recesses. of the ends and secured in a respective recess, and a portion extendingoutwardly of the handle; an elastic spiral spring for each end of the device, one end of each spring being secured to the outwardly extending portion of its respective. plug; and a gauge element for each spring, each gauge elementbeing secured to the outer end of its respective spring in spaced relation to its adjacent plug, saidsprings having sutlicient elasticity to permit over-travel of the handle when a gauge element is held against rotation.

4. A thread plug gauge device, comprising: an elongated. multisided handle having an axially arranged inwardly tapered recess in an end; a plug having a frustoconical portion shaped to correspond to the conical recess and secured therein, and a cylindrical portion extending outwardly of the handle; an elastic spiral spring having an inner end portion disposed on the cylindrical portion of said plug and secured thereto; and a gauge element having a cylindrical portion disposed in an outer free end portion of said spring and secured therein, the gauge element being spaced from said plug, the elasticity of said spring being suflicient to permit over-travel of the handle when the gauge element is held against rotation.

5. In a thread plug gauge device: :a handle having a recess in at least one end; a plug secured in said recess and having a portion extending outwardly of the handle; an elastic spiral spring having one end'secured to the outwardly extending portion of said plug; and a gauge element secured to the outer free end of said spring and spaced from said plug, the elasticity of said spring being sutfieient to permit over-travel of the handle when the gaugeelernent is held against rotation.

6. A device of the character described, comprising; a handle; an elastic spiral spring for each end of the handle, each spring having one end secured to a respective end of said handle in axial relationship; and a gauge element secured to the free end of each spring in spaced relationship to the adjacent end of the handle, the elasticity of said spring being sufiicient to permit over-travel of the handle when the gauge element is held against rotation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

